The Life and Times of Lord Shen
by Fancypants66
Summary: The heir to the Peacock family of Gongmen City had a much more uphill struggle living as he did. Through the panda massacres and his banishment, Lord Shen had done and seen much throughout his life; this story covers both Shen's own experiences and those of his family as time progressed.
1. Prologue

Years ago, in Gongmen City, the peacocks ruled over all other creatures. The city saw much prosperity and peace was the order of the day. Life was a melody; thanks to the centuries-old invention of fireworks at the feathered hands of the Peacock family, all was well. Crime was at an all-time low in the city streets, no one went hungry, work was always plentiful and, as a crown jewel of sorts, every other night, Lord Kongque and Lady Shui Lian saw fit to provide their subjects with a little show. Together, they would labor for hours in their factory, devising the most colorful fireworks, some simple bursts of color, others with shape to them, a favorite, of course, being their symbol: the peacock.

Coupled with this on a select number of those nights, the royal family threw a ball for all their subjects at the courtyard of their estate, the Tower of the Sacred Flame, which all were welcome to attend, rich or poor, young or old. Even the Kung Fu Council, consisting of masters Thundering Rhino, Croc and Storming Ox made an appearance from time to time at these balls as venerated guests, thanked extensively by the Peacock family for their courageous efforts in keeping not only the city itself, but the surrounding land safe from the dangers of bandits, brigands and pirates.

The Peacock family was gracious towards all and always kept the front gates of their estate, their estate that had been in their family for many centuries, open to all, save for the rare, almost nonexistent, moments of strife or when nighttime came about. This tower had been in the family name for as long as any might recall, skyrocketing up into the heavens around the same epoch in which the fireworks, Lord Kongque's ancestors' prized invention, had.

All was well in Gongmen City. The colors shone brightest against the night skies for all to enjoy and the city itself was deemed a veritable golden age incarnate by visitors, outsiders and other domains.

Then, to add onto this image of perfection, the royal family was blessed with a son.


	2. The First Egg of the Spring

One cool spring morning, when the peach blossoms were at their rosiest and a chill of the wintery air remained, the peacocks were at their estate, waking up from their perches to move on to address the issues of their city together when, without apparent warning, Lady Shui Lian decided to stay behind in their chambers for a moment. Lord Kongque, who loved his wife more dearly than his own life, headed back into the chambers after her.

"Darling?" he asked in a soft concerned tone, "what is it?"

"My Lord, my love, perhaps the Heavens Above have at last answered our prayers. We have", she said, pulling aside the robes where her feet were, to reveal a single cream-colored egg, "an heir at last"

"Can it be? How wonderful!" proclaimed Lord Kongque, giddy at this most wondrous happening, his long brilliant train of feathers fanning softly in joy. "We _must_ commemorate this splendid news, my dear! Let us have a ball this evening and share this blessing with our subjects!"

"But first", interjected the breathless Lady Shui Lian, "we must consult Ah Mah. This is wondrous news, to be sure, but we can't let happiness get in the way of practicality. She alone can tell us whether the egg will be all right, and she might be able to keep onto it well for us."

"What do you mean?" asked Lord Kongque, somewhat befuddled.

"Think about it, Kongque", said Lady Shui Lian pragmatically. "We've got an obligation to this child, but to our people as well. Ah Mah can keep the child warm for us as we tend to the city's issues, and at the end of the day, I can come back to it and continue keeping it warm."

Lord Kongque saw how right his wife was in suggesting this; while it was clear that he would have a son or daughter soon, he was still a ruler with his wife over the creatures of Gongmen City, a position entrusted to him by his father with the utmost dedication to his post.

"Very well, then", Lord Kongque conceded, "we shall arrange a visit with the Soothsayer".

Ah Mah, the elderly goat soothsayer of the Peacock family, had been in their employ since around the days of Lord Kongque's grandfather. Aside from being the Peacocks' consult on more pressing matters, she was also Lord Kongque's nanny as a child, and the lord had some amusing memories of those days, memories he would like his own child to have of how the old goat was a dedicated guardian and a good friend.

The order was given to summon the Soothsayer, who herself was off visiting the village of the pandas, not far from the bustling metropolis of Gongmen. The Soothsayer had been the trusted consort of the pandas as well for years and years, offering advice and sage help on anything and everything the panda community required assistance with, from the idea of whether or not to expand their village to even offering the panda children tips on how best to build kites.

Ah Mah left the panda village the following morning and appeared almost at once at the palace gates, carrying but a small rucksack and her cane with her. Upon stepping in to meet her, the peacocks both smiled widely, welcoming their old friend back into the palace.

"Ah, my dear Mah" Lord Kongque chuckled, "welcome back to Gongmen. Please, do step in, you must be fatigued after such a long venture from the forests here", he finished warmly.

"Yes, please, join us for dinner: we've much catching up to do!" continued Lady Shui Lian.

Ah Mah, who was not one to tire easily, chuckled lightly at the hospitality shown her, always amused so with formality: as a lighthearted goat, Ah Mah was never one for standing on ceremony, even when the occasion called for it, and clapped the lord peacock heartily on the back, to his slight surprise, and walked in through the gates with them. It was good to be back in the heart of Gongmen, with its most gracious hosts welcoming their trusted friend back with open wings.

That evening, after a splendid dinner of fresh mushrooms, vegetables and rice, from which the Soothsayer had saved enough room for a last snack, making one of her silk napkin, the three sat in the gardens and drank hot tea, saying little, but keeping an air of peaceable calm, until…

"You must have wanted a familiar touch in a nanny for your child, Lord Kongque", the old goat remarked coyly.

"Your fortune-telling skills are as good as they ever were, Ah Mah" responded Lord Kongque. "Whose mind did you read that gave it away?"

"Why, no one's, Lord Kongque! How often does one see a lady peahen walk so carefully, even if she is royal?" chuckled the goat merrily.

True enough, Lady Shui Lian had taken it upon herself to carry the egg close to her, keeping it beneath her robes so that it would stay warm.

_Exactly the kind of touch we need_, Lord Kongque thought to himself; it was just a matter of getting the goat to say-

"Yes".

"Yes, what, Ah Mah?" asked Lady Shui Lian curiously, though it could not have been plainer that she knew to what the goat was saying "Yes". She would agree to watch over the royal family's unhatched egg. At that, the Soothsayer calmly confirmed that she would be glad indeed to watch over the egg, much to the peacocks' joy.

"But", she added, "a closer look at the signs and omens surrounding your child would indeed be profitable, if we are to see what his, and yours, futures hold more clearly. We must examine the omens at once."

A quick ascent to the main throne room of the Tower, Lord Kongque and the Soothsayer leading the way, with Lady Shui Lian following on a small palanquin carried by two gazelle footmen as she kept the egg warm, brought both peacocks and the goat to advance with their sign-finding. Ah Mah wasted no time in drawing out her trusted bowl, into which she put a measure of herbs, powders and a strand of silk from a reluctant Lord Kongque's sleeve. Once the items were in her bowl, she proceeded to withdraw a tiny wooden vial from her sleeves, from which was issued a small amount of grayish fluid, and called for the egg, which Lady Shui Lian hesitantly offered forward; Ah Mah dabbled a small amount of the gray fluid onto the egg's surface, smoothing it lightly with a small brush and moving the brush away with a small amount of the fluid applied onto the egg. This fluid was dripped into the bowl and the egg returned to its mother.

With that, Ah Mah asked for a small amount of the combustion powder, which she poured into the bowl and lit with a flint. The bowl sputtered and sparked in various colors, the silk shriveled and blackened and the herbs seemed to manifest themselves into the form of smoke, disappearing as deliberately as the smoke plumes rose from the bowl.

Shapeless at first, the smoke rose lightly, and the old goat moved in closer to shape it with her front hooves until…

An image formed: a peacock-shaped cloud arose, festooned in various hues and shades of blue and green, red and yellow. The peacock cloud then changed form, losing its color until it was a snowy-white shape, peppered with red and surrounded with puffs of grayish dust, until it altered once more, forming into a small cloud and bursting into a small puff of sparks and glittering gold dust, which dissipated before it reached the floor.

Both peacocks looked at one another with looks of utmost confusion on their faces. What could this mean? Even the servants present exchanged puzzled looks; the goat alone knew what it all meant.

"Your child…is destined to bring about something wondrous."

Two sighs of relief issued from the peacocks, who were both relieved and somewhat pleased at this.

"But you must know that, while I have done what I can and read the signs as best as I could, your child's future still remains up for him or her to decide for themselves. All I can say is that good will come out of your child's ascent to power, though how, when, or through what means…I cannot say"

The following night, the peacocks set to work constructing their brightest and most ornate fireworks yet, with Lord Kongque assembling them and Lady Shui Lian, who sat with her egg, unable to move too much, directing her husband through words. With that, the peacocks held a party in celebration of their child, inviting all in their kingdom, extending their invite as far as to the village of the pandas, who themselves had never before seen the fireworks up close and stood amazed as the bursts of color and light were presented.

The peacocks, while the guests were in full revelry and enjoyment, quietly made a vow to each other: that they would assure that their child brought about precisely what the Soothsayer said: something great through his or her own rule.


	3. The Egg Hatches

Within the month, almost as if on swift wings, the peacocks began their most frenetic point of waiting: the egg was soon to hatch. Lord Kongque was most eager about the egg hatching: he knew too well that the egg was not only his and his wife's pride and joy, but also what Ah Mah had promised: the herald of something good yet to come.

In the weeks since the egg had come to existence, the peacocks took every precaution: from keeping their bedchambers stiflingly warm to aid in the egg's incubation and preparing a nursery, to assuring that Lady Shui Lian was to undergo less strain than her position as ruler would ask by having her ride a palanquin with the egg; all, they felt, was to insure that their child would have the best chance at hatching well. Lady Shui Lian herself designed her child's nursery to be festooned colorfully with painted fireworks on the walls, with red being a favorite motif, as red, she felt, was the color most indicative of passionate greatness and power. Lord Kongque, not knowing what to expect in either a son or daughter, took it upon himself to summon up the finest tailors in the province, calling up the most talented silkworms to create an ornate set of child's robes with the most flagrant hues, from blue and green to gold and lavender.

The peacock's tradition of the age maintained that colorful plumage meant a greater presence and was a sign of greatness; both peacocks knew this all too well, for peacock culture was most staunch on its views that a great presence in the sight of others was not only a nicety for peacocks but also a compulsory factor in living life. The more brilliant a peacock or hen was, the more presence they would stake out, for peacocks, not necessarily being so vapid as to judge on appearance alone, did maintain that a first impression and indeed an overall impression or appearance was vital to having a greater presence in the world; a peacock or hen's appearance marked their disposition to those who did not know them, leaving it to the peacock or hen to make good on this image.

Lord Kongque revered well this tradition and so sought to design for his child the most elegant attire he could, incorporating the traditional peacock hues into the designs.

And then on an unseasonably hot spring morning, made much more fiery by the heated nursery where the peacocks waited, the Lady of Gongmen City felt a tiny jolt as she warmed the egg on her palanquin. Taken by surprise and instinctively moving aside quickly, Lady Shui Lian called out to her husband, who fluttered over at once, and both birds moved on the sides of the egg, which Lady Shui Lian gingerly moved to the nursery cradle. In the hot spring sun cast through the open balcony, the egg stirred, rocking somewhat frantically as if the chick inside was just aching to escape. And as quickly as it started, the egg ceased moving so frantically and settled, splitting here and there until a tiny beak punctured a small hole from within. This hole was made bigger and bigger through repeated pecking, when Lord Kongque decided to aid his child in breaking through by moving forward with his wings and gently pulling open the shell.

The eggshell split at last, revealing a sight that neither parent bird had been prepared to see: their child, their newly-hatched young son, was not the traditional hatchling of browns and grays as had been expected: their child was an off-white hatchling, speckled lightly with traces of yellow.

Lord Kongque stood by the cradle, a look of utter shock on his face, as if words would fail him. With that, the Lord of Gongmen City moved away from the cradle, stepping slowly away, wings folded at his back as if in deep thought.

"Our son", he began to say, reverent as a monk reciting his mantra, "our son. He is certainly not what I had anticipated."

"But dearest, he is ours", Lady Shui Lian whispered gently. "He is our own"

"Precisely, my dear: this young miracle, for a miracle he must be, given the prophecies and his circumstances of hatching, is our own. I conceal not that I am surprised that he does not appear to be like we are, with the colors and hues of his fathers before him, but we shall love him all the same. This divine miracle of ours, this flame that shines differently from his predecessors, will be our own, and someday our land's…young Lord Shen."

Stepping in close to the cradle to inspect his young son further, Lord Kongque smiled warmly as Lady Shui Lian lifted Shen from the cradle, gently wrapped him in a blanket and held him close, cooing softly to her son. Lord Kongque moved in closer and was in silent tears of joy.

"My son, young Shen, you've made your mother and myself so, so very proud", Lord Kongque whispered, moving closer towards his son. "You, the young miracle, the herald of a new era of greatness unto this land, who do our ancestors the greatest of honors possible, Shen, it is plain that-OWTCH!"

Lord Kongque's treasured young miracle had snapped up his father's mustache in his tiny beak.

"Ah yes", chuckled the Lord peacock, amused and strained simultaneously. "He has strength, it is certain. Our Shen will be the bringer of a new age, indeed"

That night, to commemorate the birth of their son, the peacocks of Gongmen once more painted the skies with their fireworks, though this time the fireworks took a characteristic hue not seen before: the fireworks cast were dazzling white.


	4. From the Shadows, Friends

Some ten years after the royal family had been blessed with a new heir, life in Gongmen City remained the same as it ever had, with the exception of one feature: the peacock family took it upon themselves to tour the city more frequently, at the request of their son. Shen delighted in seeing the city streets, in meeting the townspeople that he knew would someday become his subjects, but the young bird had one simple conflict with his parents, which brought them no end of grief. The young peacock loved to get lost.

Lord Shen was more partial to explore the city streets for himself instead of with a group. During those days, it was a party consisting of Lord Kongque, Lady Shui Lian and Lord Shen accompanied by their palanquin staff of gazelles and the Kung Fu Council themselves, who, since the surrounding territories were deemed long since safe, had taken it upon themselves to accompany the royal family on their strolls, not only to stand guard over them, but to keep any eye on the goings-on of Gongmen itself, and to take the odd day off from their duties. In those days, Master Thundering Rhino, then a much younger rhino, had been the young Shen's preferred master, and viewed Shen less as a superior and more as a favorite nephew, albeit a wayward nephew. Stoic and staunch though Thundering Rhino was, he was never above cracking the odd smile at Shen's antics or being there to comfort the young lord.

One instance that still warranted a chuckle from Thundering Rhino was when Shen had been six: his parents had purchased a large bouncing toy stylized to resemble a panda. The toy was set in the tower nursery and had been an object that terrified young Shen always, but for what reason no one could say for certain.

"Shen", said Thundering Rhino soothingly, "it's just a toy, nothing more. It can't possibly hurt you; look, it's even got cubby ears, like a panda!"

"B-but it moved at me! It-I think it wants to hurt me!" squealed the young bird as he clutched onto Thundering Rhino's side tightly.

"Nonsense, it's only a toy, little one. It's no more dangerous to you than I am"

This served to comfort the child, so that from that point on, Shen always looked to Thundering Rhino for comfort and support. Masters Storming Ox and Croc were also always ready to help out with Shen, entertaining him with stories of their past exploits from time to time, but in Shen's eyes, Master Thundering Rhino was the bravest of them all.

Lord Kongque was, in particular, very close to his son in that, despite ruling a city, he was always happy to spend time with him, teaching him the history of his ancestors and how they had unified Gongmen City: long ago, when settlers reached the coastal area of what would someday be Gongmen, no one had the gumption to step up as a just and fair ruler, save for the peacocks, who were already revered as being pious creatures that sought fairness for all. With their leadership, over years, Gongmen City was established, the Tower of the Sacred Flame being the highest of all buildings as a bastion of fair rule and a beacon of hope that stood tall so that any could see it and go there for help.

Kongque instructed Shen on how the fireworks were invented: some hundred years after Gongmen was built, the nights were dark and the citizens still uneasy of the dangers that were still out there in the wilderness. The ruling peacock of the age then decided to do something, and labored for weeks on a means of projecting light into the skies to instill a feeling of light, warmth and beauty unto all: he called this new light "fireworks" and declared that all peacocks of Gongmen that came thereafter would continue to create the fireworks to bring the people of Gongmen what they needed most.

Along with this, Kongque saw to it that his son was dressed well in the finest silks possible, knowing full well that simplicity was more to Shen's advantage in attire, and so Lord Kongque decided to instruct the silkworms to design white, red and silver robes that would suit Shen well.

The favorite hobby of Lord Kongque that he enjoyed with his son was to play games with Shen at the side of the throne, sometimes lifting the young peacock into it, and always promising that someday the throne would be Shen's.

"It's your responsibility, my son, to assume this throne someday and to lead Gongmen well. But it's also your privilege to be a bringer of light and joy to your future subjects", Lord Kongque would often say to his son. "You have been granted the great gift to become a leader."

Shen, young as he was, knew the sincerity in which his father spoke to him and so folded his wings as if in prayer and spoke. "I will not fail you, Father. I promise"

Summer had come to the city of Gongmen and with that, the peacocks decided to pay a visit to Ah Mah, who had since taken an extended leave to visit the panda village on the outskirts of Gongmen, taking Shen along with them. The ride was extensive, as the royal family was carried once more on a palanquin by their gazelle contingent and accompanied by the Kung Fu Council, who themselves were invited as well to visit the panda village, and made much longer by the young Shen, who would not stop talking the others' ears off about whatever caught his interest, from the history of his illustrious forbearers to the countryside itself, and, getting on the fraying nerves of even his own loving parents, how bored he was of waiting.

But once the palanquin caravan stopped, and the travelers stepped out, Shen rushed out with the speed of a rabbit, jumping out and even using the heads of Masters Thundering Rhino and Croc as stepping stones as he ran. Shen was elated to see what lay outside of Gongmen City and rushed through the tall grass alongside the river toward the outskirts of the village.

Peace and harmony incarnate, the panda village was a welcome sight after so many hours on the roads: with simple huts and shacks surrounded well by bamboo and pandas of all ages busily going about their lives: younger pandas flew kites or chased one another in their games while older ones, laden with buckets of vegetables and fruits, bustled about, and once they spotted the royal family, the pandas, one by one, stopped and greeted the visitors with waves and loud greetings.

Lord Kongque and Lady Shui Lian, gracious as ever and having caught up with young Shen, bowed before the pandas and called up their gazelle servants, who brought gifts from Gongmen, from tools and clothes to sparklers for the panda children.

Shen, however, was anything but interested in all this pomp and circumstance, looking on towards the woods, where he was sure he had seen someone there, a hairy, hunched figure with a pair of brightly-glowing eyes. Making to go and see the figure closely, Shen attempted to leave his parents and the others to their greeting the pandas, but was instead kept under close watch by his mother, who warned her son many times never to leave her sight.

"Shen, you are not to wander off; stay here with me and your father, where we can see you", his mother chided.

"But why?", asked Shen, dismayed at this strictness. "I'm not going to do anything-"

"That is not the point. These woods can be dangerous. I heard from Master Croc that the deeper woods are being camped out by a band of monitor bandits. That is why the masters are here with us, to keep us all safe in case the bandits come this way"

"But you know I'm careful, mother, I won't get caught-"

"We can't be sure of that, my son, unless we see what is in there, and as long as we're visiting this land and you're a guest here, that is out of the question."

Without much more ado, young Shen was kept back; his father's words were hardly more comforting as Shen was told that there was danger to be found in those woods. Shen was thus compelled by his parents to accompany them as they greeted more pandas and bestowed more gifts.

Evening came at a snail's pace for young Shen, who grew bored and ran off to find some young panda cubs, who he convinced into joining in a game of tag. Each time, it seemed, Shen had last, due, in part, to his growing train, which stuck out sharply against the wooded grey undergrowth where they all played. Shen was having a good time, and seemed to have forgotten all about going into the woods, when, for the tenth time, to his displeasure, he was found again in their game of tag. With that, Shen decided to step up the game and hide even deeper into the undergrowth, forgetting about his promise to his mother that he would not move into the woods.

"They'll never find me in here", Shen snickered as he hid in a log. And the cubs never did.

A long stretch of time seemed to have passed to Shen and he grew tired of waiting, peering out of the log. That instant, he retracted his head into it as he saw the silhouettes of a number of figures around a campfire. The monitor bandits had taken the log he was hiding in! Shen, though frightened greatly, did his best to keep calm and stay silent, when a pair of rustling footsteps moved towards the log and tore a piece of it off, revealing Shen to the bandits at once.

The monitors were all in uproar as they beheld the prince.

"Well, look who's come to visit us from his golden throne up on high", scorned a monitor bigger than the others. "I see you've decided to join us for supper, my liege!" At that moment, the monitor struck the log with his tail, shattering it to splinters, and dragged Shen out of the remains of the log towards the fire.

"Li! The chains! We've got ourselves a hostage to-night!" shouted the monitor as he held Shen back his wings, forcefully, as another monitor, this one rangy and filthy-looking, moved forward with chains in his claws, when, as quickly as the monitor leader broke the log, a large mass of fur and armor brought the monitor holding the chains down to the ground. With that, several other furred, armored figures came down amongst the monitors, pulling out swords and clubs, and stepping into the fire's light: wolves.

Shen was instantly taken by his own fear: wolves, his mother, had always told him, were no better than the other marauding creatures of the mountains. But these wolves didn't appear interested in taking Shen at all.

"Leave the bird alone!", bellowed out one of the wolves, the wolf that landed on the monitor with chains.

"Find your own hostage, you mangy beasts!", shouted the monitor leader angrily.

With that, the wolves leapt forward and engaged the monitors in battle, Shen hurrying away from both of them, though as he ran, one of the monitors rushed at one wolf with a torch, and the wolf struck it aside, where it fell onto Shen's feet. The young bird squawked in pain, his cries of anguish drowned out by the hisses and growls of the two fighting groups. Shen, with strength beyond that of most others in his given plight, somehow managed to hide in a thicket of brambles, shredding his silk robes as he stumbled forward to hide.

The wolves fought on, bringing down more of the monitors as quickly as though they were weeds, when the remaining lizards, fearing for their lives, ran as fast as they could from the scene, only to be brought down when the wolves ran after them, bringing them down with their rope darts.

Shen watched in shock as the wolves bound all the lizards by the ankles, whether conscious or knocked out, and made not a sound until he saw one wolf pull out a large sword and prepare to end his foe, the leader of the monitors. Shen attempted to quiet his cry of fear much too late as a dark figure approached the brambles slowly.

"Good evening to you, young prince", the wolf's growly voice called out through the brambles.

"G-good evening", said Shen, quite uneasy at the voice, his trembling tone made more so by the pain of his burned feet.

"Where is your family, little one? Do you want some help finding them?"

Back at the camp, fear had gripped the peacocks as they grieved over their son's abrupt disappearance; the gazelles searched the village, led by Ah Mah, as the Masters combed the woods. The search had gone on for two hours, and none could find even a trace of him, short of a few footprints leading into the woods and stopping cold.

"Find my son _now_", demanded Lord Kongque to his gazelles, angry and beside himself at his son's disappearance, "Find him NOW!"

"We've combed the woods through and we can't seem to find him; all we found were those monitors, bound up around a campfire", reported Master Storming Ox, having just come back from patrolling the woods for the third time.

"Well, find him, please, masters", pleaded Lady Shui Lian tearfully, "who knows where he might-"

"Hello over there!", a familiar voice rang out from the forest.

Both peacocks, the old goat, the three masters, the gazelle retainers and all the pandas stood agog at the bizarre sight before them. Shen indeed did return through the trees, but it was at a much higher stature that the young bird stood: perched atop the shoulders of a fierce-looking wolf, who walked benignly on towards the onlookers, flanked by scores and score of other wolves, none of which appeared to have any intent in harming anyone.

"Hello, mother, father", young Shen nonchalantly chirruped. "These are my friends"


	5. The Royal Guard

The news that the royal family had accepted wolves into their land spread through Gongmen like wildfire within just a few hours. Though it was true that none of the other citizens of Gongmen were as accepting of wolves, given their reputation for being bellicose and full of mischief, they still remained loyal to their governing figures and accepted this new change. The visit to the village of the pandas cut short somewhat by the events that took place in the forest, the caravan returned from the village at once, though this time, at the behest of young Shen, the caravan was surrounded well by all the wolves that had saved Shen, and Shen, his feet still burned from the torch earlier, was carried on the leader wolf's shoulders.

Never before had such a strange sight been witnessed by the folk of Gongmen City: the royal family was supported by wolves, the Council of the Masters as well, and the young lord was being carried by wolves, who, despite their fearsome appearance, acted more like happy puppies at that time, running around their leader's ankles and yipping as he carried Shen. One bystander noticed that the wolves had even created a flag for Shen! A bold burst of red cloth on which was printed the shape of a white peacock, train of feathers broad, was being carried happily by one wolf, who ran around as though he were a child.

But of all the royals being tended to by the wolves, it was clear that Shen's parents were less than thrilled or even at peace at the moment: exchanging looks of concern, the peacocks sat in their palanquin, both confused as to why the wolves were so taken by their sun, and uneasy that they were in the presence of known brigands.

Once the party reached the Tower's doors, the usual contingent of gazelle guards raised their spears at the wolves, ready to defend the palace, when the leader of the wolves stepped forward imperiously, causing the guards to back down as they saw the young lord with the wolf.

"Want to put those things down?", the wolf leader growled crossly. "You could put out an eye".

Inside the palace, the wolves were all ushered into a chamber on the second floor, where they stood and waited as their hosts, the peacocks, promised to return momentarily. Though unafraid of the birds, every wolf out of the contingent of seventy-eight that returned with the royals stood perplexed. Never before had they entered such an establishment of grandeur and resplendence, least of all as guests. They knew not what to make of it, and certainly not of what they would be in for next.

"Should we just jump out the window?" asked one wolf to the leader, unsure of whether even leaving was a good idea.

"No", said the leader flatly. "Something tells me we're going to want to stay in here until they come back" But even the leader himself was unsure of what was next in store and why he and his fellow wolves had been gathered into one room and left there to wait indefinitely, almost as if time itself had come to a grinding halt in just that room.

And just as he was about to turn to ask someone in his pack to look out the chamber window, the peacocks stepped in through the door, Shen skittering about their ankles. Though they didn't seem angry, there was a sure air of authoritativeness about them as they strode over calmly.

"Our son Shen", started the lady peahen, "tells us you saved his life. We're thankful to you for this, Sir Wolf"

Rather resenting being spoken to so formally, as though he were in some trouble, the wolf held back the words he wished to speak, that he had no idea the young bird was the royal heir to Gongmen, that he and his pack were simply-

"For this", continued the peacock lord, "we want to extend to you an invitation. You and your pack's bravery is certainly deserving of a great honor"

Feeling it would be a little rude to just blurt out "what's that?", the wolf leader kept silent, listening, as did the others in his pack.

"We wish to offer you, Sir Wolf, along with all your pack, the position of the royal guards of Gongmen, tasked with protecting our royal family" announced the peacock.

The wolf leader's eyes widened to the size of saucers at this. Royal guards?

"Royal guards?", the wolf leader asked, astonished.

"Yes," continued the lord peacock, "it seems right that, given how you protected our son from those dreadful reptiles, you ought to be bestowed a higher honor. Your position would entail residences here in Gongmen, along with security, food, and any other commodities, should you choose to accept them"

The wolf leader, still stunned at this turn of events, looked back at his wolves, who were all stunned as well. A home in the city, so far from the woods? It sounded too good to be true. Still, good food and comfort for the rest of his and his pack's lives, coupled with all manner of assorted comforts, all in exchange for scaring off attackers from time to time did seem too sweet a deal to pass up, as it were.

Looking back at the wolves for any thoughts on the matter, the wolf leader saw no change in expression, no skepticism, nothing. They, most unusually, were waiting _his _orders, without question or hesitation.

"We'll take the job", announced the wolf leader, "and we'll keep your family safe, Lord Kongque"

Both peacocks smiled serenely, and Shen, who had been silent the whole time, chirruped in delight, skittering over to the wolf leader, who scooped him up and placed him on his shoulders.

That night, the wolves were, at the request of young Shen, the guests of honor at a banquet held especially for them. The dinner was a particularly odd one, with the wolves transfixed with their plush surroundings in the palace, examining the plates and goblets in which their meals were served with awe. Never had a wolf eaten so finely before.

After dinner, Shen insisted that everyone, his parents and the wolves, step outside for games. Shen's parents were astounded at that moment to witness the odd sight: wolves, the fiercest of all creatures known in those parts, playing with their son, almost as if they were puppies. Pulling out his collection of sparklers and ribbons, Shen chased the wolves around giddily, the wolves enjoying themselves as well, at which they were an odd sight: great, shaggy beasts scampering around like children, yipping and tousling around.

The evening went on quickly for Shen's parents, who had decided that the fun had gone on for enough time, and called their son to bed. The wolves then left the palace grounds and headed off to their new residence: a set of newly-constructed barracks near the fireworks factory.


End file.
